Since setting up shop at the casino, Neil Perry has tipped the odds decidedly in drinkers’ favour

Chain ventures usually leave us cold, but in the case of Rockpool Bar & Grill, we’ll gladly make an exception: that’s the sort of bargaining power world-class meat, a handsomely-stocked cellar and great cocktails gets you. Seasoned RBGrillers might notice some menu crossover between Perth and its Sydney and Melbourne parentals – the Waiting Room’s fennel-accented Corpse Riviver, say, or libations mixed using Rockpool’s house-mixed tonic water or ginger beer – but there’s local west coast flavour, too. Bar manager David Nguyen-Luu and his crew know how to rework a classic to great effect, so get a load of hometown heroes like the Clover Club No. 10 redux, complete with tumbler of limoncello sorbet, strawberries and pop rock candy. Elsewhere, the White Lady undergoes two different makeovers, one with vodka and mandarin, the other introducing rich Amaro Nonino to the traditional gin base. While it’s possible to perch yourself at one of the 10 seats at the bar, this isn’t really the destination for bartender repartee, least of all because the bar is the control centre for the entire restaurant’s drinks service. Then again, you’ll probably be too busy putting away a tasty chorizo hot dog, prawn roll or one of David Blackmore’s now-legendary wagyu hamburgers to really want to say too much. And you know what? We wouldn’t blame you, either.